§ Mr. FlightTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the running costs have been of ministers' private offices in his Department in each year since 1997. [123104]
§ Mr. BlunkettRunning costs for my department, Ministers' offices, the Private Office Management Support Unit and Parliamentary Secretariat for each year from 1997 were as follows:
Year Pay costs Other running costs 1997–98 1,551,644 572,622 1998–99 1,566,018 1,202,633 1999–2000 1,619,459 791,588 2000–01 1,223,794 841,809 2001–02 1,643,622 943,022 The running costs for the whole of Private Office—including non Ministerial Offices—in 2001–02 was £4,492,704 and in 2002–03 was £5,176,925. Changes in financial recording systems from 2001 mean that it is no longer possible, without disproportionate cost, to separate the cost of Ministerial from non-Ministerial offices. Consequently this figure is not directly comparable with those provided prior to 2001–02, which did not include the cost of the offices of the Permanent Secretary, the Director General, Resources and Performance, Special Advisers, as well as the Typing Centre and the Ministerial Briefing Unit, which was largely created by bringing together existing staff in other Directorates. The figure for 2002–03 also includes office running costs for an additional Minister.